#MONDAYMISSION – LIVING WITH LESS

February 9, 2016

#MONDAYMISSION

Living a minimalist lifestyle was something Tyler and I never gave much thought to before our trip to Europe and Africa. We are both somewhat of neat freaks, keeping our house organized and tidy. I thought we were on track when it came to living with less, as there was never much clutter. However, when we came home and began to settle back into our normal routines, we started noticing things around the house that were simply taking up space. Many things on our kitchen counter held no purpose, and yet, were still just sitting there with no actual use. I was annoyed. It was then that I began packing all the items we didn’t use into a box to give away. Since then, Tyler and I have been going through our belongings, picking out anything we haven’t used in the past year to give to someone who will.

Yesterday, I heard an amazing message at Cross Point Church. Pete Wilson and Lysa TerKeurst talked about Lysa’s book, The Best Yes, and how she’s removing clutter from her life in more ways than one. She discusses the importance of not over committing ourselves, but to focus on the people and things that matter most to us. When we overload our schedules, we spread ourselves thin, and are unable to give the appropriate love and attention to what or who is most important at that time.

Overwhelming yourself will just create underwhelming results.

This often hits home for many of us – Receiving continual text messages and phone calls throughout the day – “When can we meet up? When can we plan a trip together? Can we meet for coffee?” etc. Though we would love to always be available, and would like to say yes to everyone, we simply wouldn’t be able to fulfill our own needs, or the needs of those who truly require our attention. We must learn how to politely say no, and invest our time wisely in the people and things that are most important in our lives.

We’d love for you to leave us a comment below, and let us know how you choose to live with less.

To listen to the sermon, or find out where you can buy The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst, click the links below.

1. Discard the duplicates. Go from room to room and anything you see 2 of, toss one.

2. Before you make a purchase. Ask yourself, “Do I want this? Or do I need this?

3. How often are you using it? If you have to ask yourself the last time you actually used a cooking utensil, piece of clothing, tool, etc. More than likely you forgot you even had that item or it will continue to never be used. Get rid of it.

Interesting statistic — we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. WOW. If this sounds like it fits your wardrobe, it might be time to clean out that closet.

9 Comments

How do I live with less? Well since I live alone in a one bed room apartment, I don’t really have the space for alot of stuff, which is good cause i’m not really the type to keep things I don’t use or need, but when it comes to things like clothes I can’t fit into or haven’t worn in a while usually give it to the Salvation Army which is a local thrift store. As far as appliances goes I have one toaster, coffee maker, slow cooker etc…. which are kept in a cupboard.

When you get a chance, go check out Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey. We have facilitated a couple of times at our church. It lines up with the path you and Tyler are on right now. It teaches you to live like no one else so later you can live & give like no one else. It will teach you how to leave a legacy. It’s AMAZING!

When I finally caught on to what really matters and found my purpose in this life, that’s when I found life and joy! When I surrendered my life, I found it… We now have 4 foster children , who I love like my own! I want to make a difference in their life! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a crazy life but a wonderful one!! It’s awesome what yall are doing! Love you both!!!

Lyme Disease has taken my comfort zone away, forcing me to live slower with less. I eat less, I sleep less, I can’t work even a part time job. I have learned to be as humble as I can be…with less energy, less endurance, less adventure and more relaxing peace. I love your commitment to live life with less. Be blessed.

Thank you for motivating me to do something I’ve been talking about for months…..Get rid of my kids toys and just save a few!!! I am a neat freak, which is hard with 3 boys. I spend so much wasted energy trying to clean up, when I could be using that energy to spend with them. They play two minutes with a toy and move on to “I’m bored” Really??? It felt so good the other day to walk away from the toys and take them outside to play football. I needed an ice pack after, but it was AWESOME! Thanks for the motivation. Looking forward to my more simple life!

Thank you for your posts, Hayley! They are always such an inspiration to me. Today I cleaned out over 3 bags of items that I can donate to those who may need more than me and that was from my closet alone. I think it’s so easy to accumulate a mass amount of things a little bit at a time before you even realize what is happening. This post really served as a reminder that being aware and checking in with where you are in our life and where you want to be not only serves you, but it also helps you serve others. I also started listening to the sermon this morning and fell in love with the format. I’ve been searching for a church in my new home in California and haven’t had much luck, and have really been missing that piece of my faith. Now I have a way to feed my soul while my search for a new house of faith continues!

I am reading The Best Yes in my small group right now and it is amazing. This week we are discussing Chapters 13-15….wow….so simple but mind-blowing. I have to admit that this book is really helping me to focus on the Best Yes options in my life in all aspects. It will help me in planning my wedding as well and making sure I don’t get too overwhelmed with busy career and life. Great post and love your work Hayley.

Visiting Guatemala and seeing how unfortunate they are, but yet how happy they are with something as simple as a beaded bracelet has changed how I look at all of the stuff I own. Many of the things I often look over that I own would really be a huge blessing to them. That makes me want to get rid of the extra things in life that I don’t use.